New York Military Tattoo at the 69th Regiment Armory - 2015

I had the privilege of attending and photographing the NY Military Tattoo on Saturday afternoon, May 23. Since I am of Scottish descent, this event held special meaning for me ... I felt right at home!
Here are some of the many photos taken ..

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Kids Week at Intrepid - Monday, Feb. 18, 2013

Every February, when NYC schools (and surrounding areas) have winter break, Kids Week at Intrepid is the place to go.  Days off due to Hurricane Sandy kept NYC schools in session .. but on Monday, the Exploreum was packed.  Here are some images from the day ... "Science Meets Science Fiction".  (Click to enlarge any image).

Eric entertaining kids and parents at the NASA table.

The performer from Gazillion Bubbles is always a favorite.

The Exploreum was "sitting room only" as kids and their families take in the show.

Museum educator Dorothy answering a boy's question about constellations.

Young boys gathered around the robotic cars.

Star Wars characters kept the kids entertained and posed for photo ops.

Scooby Doo, another favorite character on board for Kids Week.

To view my NEWLY REVISED website, including a gallery of events at Intrepid, click here .. and to become a fan of my FaceBook photography page, please visit here.  Thank you!

Medieval Times never gets old

Ah, how we love this place!  They let you take photos to your heart's content, so what's not to love?

Eric and I went back for our 4th time last weekend, to a whole new show and a different perspective.  Instead of being on the side of the arena, we sat up by the King and Queen.  This gave us an unobstructed view of the fight and jousting scenes.  From the side seats, there is a safety mesh wall between the audience and the performers. (Click on any photo to enlarge).
All shot with Nikon 300s and 70-200mm VRII 2.8 lens, most at ISO 3200 @ 1/250s.

 And to see more of my event photos, please visit my website, here.

Eddie Money, Lou Gramm and Mickey Taylor at Mayo PAC in Morristown, NJ Jingle Bell Rock

Thursday, December 1
As mentioned in earlier posts, Eric and I have become friendly with rocker Eddie Money.  He is a supporter of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund and a heckuva funny guy.  He and his manager invited us backstage for his Jingle Bell Rock performance at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, NJ with fellow rockers Lou Gramm of Foreigner and Mickey Thomas of Starship.

It was an honor being there as they prepared for the show, and a unique perspective on their work as seen from behind the curtain.

Knowing that professional cameras would not be permitted at the venue, I only brought my "toy" Minolta point-and-shoot but was able to capture these two videos.  I posted them both to YouTube.

The finale .. about 2 minutes ..

And the encore .. Eddie Money performing "Shakin" .. about 4 minutes.  As you can see I was totally fascinated by the stage lighting!

A wonderful evening .. Thank you Eddie and Paul!

For more musicians' photos, please visit Proof Positive Photography under Gallery .. Musicians.  (Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Southside Johnny, Patti Smith, Harvey Reid and others).

Video: David Cassidy & Davy Jones "I'm a Believer"

Sometimes I give my cameras a rest and take a little video instead.  Here's one taken with my Canon PowerShot A1000 back on September 7.  A one-time rendition of "I'm a Believer" by David Cassidy and Davy Jones at the Bergen PAC in Englewood, NJ.  Enjoy!

See more musicians under the "Musicians Gallery" tab at Proof Positive Photo.com.

Service of Remembrance, Healing and Hope at West Side Presbyterian Church

Being asked to shoot six 9/11 memorials this year was a true honor.  I'm flattered that editors and event coordinators would entrust me with preserving memories for the 10th anniversary of that horrific day which stunned us all.

Sunday afternoon, I started doing a "man on the street" shoot, randomly approaching people to ask for their thoughts about 9/11, and to ask if they'd mind being photographed for the community website, Patch.com. 

I spoke with the local volunteer firemen who related how they all came to headquarters that day to help any way they could .. A psychoanalyst who tries to dwell on the positive aspects of 9/11, how it pulled us all together .. The mother of 3 children, two of whom were just toddlers 10 years ago .. A group of teens who remember their parents sad reactions that day .. A former phys ed teacher who watched the towers burn from the roof of a New Jersey field house .. And a business owner who said he wants to remember the feelings of vulnerability and community that 9/11 inspired.

West Side Presbyterian Church was the site for an afternoon remembrance in Ridgewood, NJ, where 12 of its residents were lost.  A majestic place with seating for hundreds, every seat was taken.  The orchestra and choir presented a moving rendition of Gabriel Faure's Requiem.  (Click on any photo to enlarge).

As a stained glass artisan, I was in awe of the craftsmanship in these windows.

Flash was not permitted.  All photos taken with my Nikon D300s and Nikkor 70-200mm VR II 2.8 lens.  Most at ISO800, various f stops and shutter speeds.

This woman's face was so haunting, her sorrow.

People took a great deal of comfort in being together on this day.

Sixty photos from this, and two other memorials shot today, can be seen by clicking here, on Ridgewood Patch.com.  (Due to issues with the site's uploader, the first several photos are not in order).

Glen Rock Community School Spring Ballet Concert

Saturday, I enjoyed photographing the 30th Annual Spring Ballet Concert for Patch.com.  The performance, under the direction of Denise Piccino, featured her artfully choreographed dances, "Music of the Spheres", "The Elements", "Masques", and "Alice in Wonderland".

Shot with Nikon D300s and Nikkor 70-200mm VRII lens. ISO 500, f/2.8 @ 1/320s

The shoot was a challenge .. This was a low-light, fast action shoot with flash not permitted.  My test shots taken at a high ISO yielded too much grain, so I backed off on the ISO, and worked with shutter priority and in RAW.  With significant time in post, I got the images I was after.

I just love her expression.

These children were so joyful!

Wonderful dancing and acting.  Glen Rock has many talented residents!

Link to all 51 photos are posted here, on Glen Rock Patch. 

Click here for Proof Positive Photography website.

"Sharing the Arts" at Glen Rock High School

Last evening, I had the pleasure of photographing a free performance of "Peter Pan" produced by Sharing the Arts, a program that pairs special needs children with mentors, in this case, students of Glen Rock High School.  Danielle Basirico, a GRHS senior, brought the program to the school in 2010 as part of her Gold Award project for Girl Scouts.  A very touching and heartfelt performance!

Please click here to see photos of the children and their GRHS mentors, as published on the Glen Rock Patch site, as well as an article by Patch editor Joseph Gerace.

For more event photography, click for Proof Positive Photography website.

The Circus comes to town

A photographer's delight, the circus!  Here are just a few of the images captured at the Ringling Brothers Circus show "Fully Charged" this weekend, from our seats in the ninth row. 

What's more adorable than an elephant sitting down?
Gotta love them!

These Russian strongmen bore no expression as they slowly moved around each other, lifting, and gently setting the other down.

 

Click here for Ringling Brothers Circus website.   

Click here for Proof Positive Photography website. 

Lyle Lovett & John Hiatt

We are just back from tonight's wonderful performance by Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt at the State Theater in New Brunswick.  Ah, such talent!  Took a couple of shots on the sly with the "toy" camera.  Couldn't resist!

To see photos of other awesome musicians including Bruce Springsteen, Southside Johnny, Jon Bon Jovi, Patti Smith, Harvey Reid, Peter Rowan, and others, please click here for Proof Positive Photography website, under "Musicians" gallery.

Medieval Times Pageantry, Lyndhurst, NJ

Ah, we love this place! This was our third time here at the castle in Lyndhurst, New Jersey. Photos taken with my Nikon D300s and Nikkor 18-200 mm lens at ISO 3200.

(Click on image to enlarge, use back arrow to return). 

Click here for Proof Positive Photography website and more images of Medieval Times under the "Events" tab.

Comedian Jim Breuer at Mount Olive Performing Arts Center

A funny, funny man.  He had us in stitches .. See him if you can!

The "Dark Ages" of Photography ... Back behind the camera again

I just couldn't put my camera down for very long.
A trip to Medieval Times over the Labor Day weekend called for my Nikon D300s and my 70-200mm lens.  The pageantry and horsemanship were impressive, as was the lighting. (Click on any image to enlarge, use back arrow to return).

I'm walking well now, even with the surgical boot which I will need to wear for another 2-3 weeks.  No driving yet, but hopefully soon. 

Click here for Proof Positive Photography website.